My Life as a Spy

In 1973, Katherine Verdery began her doctoral fieldwork in the Transylvanian region of Romania, ruled at the time by communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.

She returned several times over the next twenty-five years, during which time the secret police — the Securitate — compiled a massive surveillance file on her. Reading through its 2,781 pages, she learned that she was “actually” a spy, a CIA agent, a Hungarian agitator and a friend of dissidents: in short, an enemy of Romania. Join her as she discusses her life as a spy and the circumstances that led informers, including close friends, to report on her.

A book signing follows the event.